The Ninety and Nine

The Ninety and Nine

 

While Peter dreams big, my calling is for the one lost on the hillside-or stuck in a lonely prison cell.  I have been coming alongside two women--a Lao and American-who faithfully visit prisoners of many nationalities in Vientiane's infamous Phontong Prison.  Visiting time is limited to 15 minutes per prisoner, one visit a month.  We talk and provide food and medicine. Initially it was overwhelming.  But to see the joy on prisoners' faces and to know that many are coming to know Jesus...  This is a good reminder that even when we make poor choices, God's grace is there.

Besides this, I have been privileged to see spiritual depth and growth in a number of people I have been seeing as a spiritual director or mentor.  Some of these are "Skype" relationships.  Others live nearby, both expat and Lao, whose search for wholeness and balance have brought us together.  I have been humbled and stimulated by the many books I have been reading for my certificate program in Spiritual Direction, a program I will complete in July.  The quote below says much about how I feel.

  

"...Spiritual formation does not occur by direct human effort, but through a relational process whereby we receive from God the power or ability to do what we cannot do by our own efforts. We do not produce the outcome. That is God's business. "

 Life with God, Richard Foster

Roi Et Rop Muang Center

Khamphan (Daeng) Sudcha, the Thailand Covenant Church President, has dreamed and strategized for years about the need to have a larger, more urban, church and training center in the lower Issaan area. While the Covenant in Roi Et has a "center" of sorts in the camp ground that has been established and is being regularly used, that camp is located 20 km outside the city of Roi Et. At one point the leadership rented a house in the city to serve as a church. It was filled with people, a younger demographic than is typical in rural villages. But the landlord raised the rent. It was too crowded. So, they discontinued renting.

President Sudcha's vision is to build a church/training center on the growing edge of Roi Et city. A piece of land will be purchased or rented. Educational programs focused on the community will be anchored, it is hoped, by Covenant expat personnel. A short-term, intensive, model of training, perhaps in concert with the North Park Center for World Christian Studies, will be used to supplement Biblical training acquired elsewhere by a new generation of Covenant leaders.

That's the vision.  It has been Peter's joy to work with Pastor Daeng to brainstorm, clarify, and finally write a project to see this vision get off the ground. Please pray that it will become a reality and our churches in Issaan will be strengthened to carry the vision forward.

Organic Farming, Mulberries & Livelihoods

The first relationship we followed was with "Aunt Lydia". We have known this woman from afar for many years. But when a friend asked if we would be willing to work along side her, we knew what the answer should be. Since that time we have made numerous trips to an area 5 hours north of Vientiane, made recently accessible by a new road.  

It has been a privilege to meet with villagers and brainstorm a new project into existence. Lydia was asked by local authorities to promote organic agriculture tied with cottage industry in this area where many new families are being re-settled and starting over from scratch. It has also been a tremendous learning experience to work alongside Lydia, her team, and extended family. She has a real passion to see rural poverty alleviated in Laos. She is experienced and knows how to get things done in Laos' unique environment. We'll be writing a lot more about this project, you can be sure.

Daniel Agro-Enterprises

Daniel bought the farm when our company was voted off the island back in 2008.  While we took a sabbatical, he caught a vision for agricultural business and ministry.  For two years he strove to carry on the work he felt was so important.  But finally he sold the fish ponds, buildings, and infrastructure to the government, paying us money that we re-invested in Mekong Valley Foods, Chiang Rai.  All the corn-handling equipment & grain bins he moved to Vientiane and set up another company about 40 minutes out of town.

His vision now couldn't be broader.  Three harvest centers--each bigger and with more capacity than our old company--have been set up, with more to follow.  Construction of a 250-sow piglet producing facility is well under way.  80 hectares of corn are being planted.  A cattle-raising project aims to make beef once more affordable in Vientiane (prices have shot through the roof in past months).

 

And finally, Peter is working to make Daniel Aquatics a reality.  Recently he has been digging fishponds, raising dikes, and putting in pipes and culverts to fill and drain the ponds.  He is working with a capable Lao manager that he and Daniel hired. They hope to bring in "mother and father fish" (as we say in Lao) early next month.  Two or three other workers are going for training next week with the talented team at SDRF's Issaan Aquatics Farm.  This renewed connection with our friends across the Mekong has been a real blessing.

Friendships Flowering

Peter and I were away for a few days.  On our return, the tree in our front yard that had been bare was suddenly a riot of leaves and flower!

    

As we have thought back over these past several months, this tree has come to symbolize our return to Laos.  We spoke in our last letter of how we felt God nudging us to just "follow the friendships"-not to worry too much where they were leading, but to obediently put one foot in front of the other.  Suddenly, it seems, those relationships have blossomed into some beautiful trees and ministries.

On the Home Front

On the home front

As you can see below, our grandkids (with whom we spent time in October) continue to delight us with their incredible genius and precocity.

Thanksgiving!  We celebrated a week late because on the day we were moving into our house.  As you can see, however, Ruthie put on a spread.  I don't know how she does it. 

 

 

China & Japan

Relations between China and Japan, at least politically, are a sensitive subject these days.  Trips to both places became, for us, a study in stark contrasts.  In both places we visited churches with faithful members.  In both places we drank in large doses of two wonderful cultures.   

Our time in China was very instructive as we participated in a ceremony to dedicate a church building which was a joint project between the Chinese government, the Covenant Church in Taiwan, and Covenant Church in the USA.  This was not something we expected.  We sat with government officials as they made speeches; and our Taiwanese brother was also given a chance to speak.  We were given a true red-carpet reception and cultural show.

 

In Japan, our primary purpose for going was to meet with our Asia Regional Council to plan for the next year and to strategize.  Along the way we attended services in a couple of NSKK churches and had the pleasure of witnessing a classic Japanese tea ceremony, reinterpreted and infused with Christian content.